Balmagie Jam Rock

Though there will likely be disputes until the end of time about who was the proper creator of the dub mix, King Tubby was inarguably one of the art form's greatest and earliest innovators. With a unique style that touched uncountable reggae productions, Tubby excelled alongside Lee Perry, Prince Jammy, Scientist, and Coxsone Dodd as the highest-ranking dub producers, breathing electricity and unfathomable viewpoints into every song they touched. Balmagie Jam Rock is a particularly cracked collection of some of Tubby's more subtly experimental dub mixes. From the dungeon-evoking cavernous reverb treatment of "The Roots Prophet and the Mix" to brittle sound effects and off-rhythm delays on "Pen Wood Road Gang War" to fractured funk and proto-disco elements on the latter half of the compilation, the overall feel is more psychedelic and free-flowing than even Tubby's often ungrounded style usually allowed for. ~ Fred Thomas